


Stag

by katiemorag



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Hogwarts Eighth Year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-16 17:32:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8111170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katiemorag/pseuds/katiemorag
Summary: It's Patronus time in Defence Against the Dark Arts and guess what Draco's turns out to be?





	

Draco didn’t know what he expected when he had accepted the invitation to attend Hogwarts for an 8th year but forming an almost friendship with the Boy-Who-Lived was certainly not it.

Shortly after the Battle, Potter had come to the Chateau in France where he and his mother were residing until their trial to return his wand then ended up staying for dinner. Draco was surprised to find that once he had let go of his childish hatred for him, Potter was actually a very nice person who had had no more choice in life than he himself had.

The trials had been quick and ruthless, his own punishment would no doubt have been as severe as the other Death Eaters if it was not for Potter standing up and defending him and for his mother; that had caused quite the front page.

Now they were back at Hogwarts, they were civil to one another but nothing more. Draco made the effort to polite and civil to Granger and Weasley as well, although if this was only to see Potter smile at him then that was no-one’s business but his own. 

You see, Draco in all his infinite wisdom had gone and developed a teeny tiny little crush on the saviour.

Draco is sitting at breakfast avoiding the glares of those who though he belonged in Azkaban by keeping his eyes solidly on his book when he became aware of someone watching him but not glaring like the others.

He looks straight up into bright green eyes, and his heart does a little flip that turns into somersaults when Potter smiles at him before turning back to Granger who was talking animatedly. Draco looks back to his book and tries to hide the smile that twitches the corners of his mouth, he was sure Potter was still watching him and could see him failing to hide said smile.

Draco tries to avoid the mad rush that was the hallways in the five minutes before class started so he set off early to Defence Against the Dark Arts. Of course, this meant he was the first one there so he leans against the wall and pulled his book back out. He doesn’t even notice someone else lean on the wall next to him until they spoke.

“I never pegged you for a Tolkien fan.” Drawls Potter from next to him, it takes all of Draco’s composure not to jump.

“And why is that, Potter?” Draco asks, holding his place with his finger and turning to look at Potter with a raised eyebrow that makes him smile in return.

“Just never seen you with a fiction book, that’s all.” Potter shrugs, it looks almost too careless to be nonchalant.

“You been watching me, Potter?” Draco asks, he purposefully keeps his voice light and teasing; he almost thinks Potter isn’t going to answer when they hear the tell tale din of their incoming class mates but he steps in front of Draco then leans in close so his hot breath ghosts over his ear.

“More than you know, Draco.” 

Then he’s gone, he’s on the other side of the corridor just in time to meet Granger and Weasley coming around the corner; giving the perfect impression that he had just arrived there.

Draco, on the other hand, can barely breathe. Could he have been messing Draco around? He had to have been.

Once they have sat down in class, Draco dares to glance across at Potter to find him already watching him intensely. Potter must have been able to read the uncertainty in his eyes because his eyes softened and he gave Draco a reassuring smile which made his damn stomach flutter.

Who was Draco kidding? He was so gone for Potter, it wasn’t even funny anymore.

Unfortunately for him, Blaise noticed their little exchange and elbows Draco hard in the ribs so they broke eye contact. He turns to glare at him and the git simply smiles smugly. 

“Your glare has nothing on Potter’s, Draco darling.” Blaise whispers, and true when Draco glances back at Potter he is watching Blaise with narrowed eyes that turned positively deadly when Blaise wraps an arm around Draco’s shoulder and laughs.

Their little stand off was interrupted when their teacher for this year, Professor Sanders, calls them to attention.

“Now, as you all know despite the Ministry’s best attempts there are some rogue Dementors who still evade capture,” a shiver seemed to make it’s way through the class at this, “therefore I have been asked to make sure you can all conjure a Patronus. Now, I know some of you can already do this without hassle so I will ask you to put your hand up if you can and you will help one of your classmates.”

A number of hands went up, mostly from the Gryffindor contingent Draco noticed (he used to be able to produce one, his had been a panther but he doubted he could now so kept his hand down). Sanders then instructed them to all get up, she then moved their desks to the back of the classroom and told them to spread out. She went around those who had raised their hands and seemed to be telling them who to go help until she got to Potter, she told him a name he couldn’t make out but he shook his head and said something to her that made her blink before nodding then continuing onto the next student.

Draco suddenly realised that Potter was heading straight for him, he gripped tightly his wand in his hand in an effort to ground himself and not do something monumentally stupid that he would no doubt regret immediately like grab Potter by his stupidly uneven collar and snog him senseless. 

“You don’t mind me helping you do, Draco?” Potter asks as he came to a stop right in front of him, smiling as Draco shook his head unable to speak in shock at Potter using his first name, “You know the theory of it right? Think happy thoughts and tah-dah!” 

“I believe the actual practice is slightly more complex than that, Potter.” Draco drawls, trying regain some semblance of control over his furiously beating heart and fluttering stomach as Potter laughs brightly.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if it was that easy?” Potter says, he looks around to see most of those doing the tutoring are helping the other students with their wand movements from behind, this brings a devilish smirk to his face that Draco does not miss despite Potter side stepping him so he now stood at Draco’s back.

“I understand the wand movements, Potter.” Draco is impressed by how controlled his voice sounds, he really doesn’t feel that composed on the inside.

“I just want to make sure,” he can still hear that damn smirk in Potter’s voice as he settles his hand over Draco’s wand arm and slowly guides him through the arm movement; Draco is aware that he is talking him through it but he cannot concentrate on any of his words when he can feel the warmth radiating off Potter warming his back.

“...got it? Why don’t you give it a try?” 

Draco tries not to let his shoulders sag in disappointment when Potter steps away, and he just knows by his grin that Potter has seen it. 

Draco quickly digs for a happy memory that isn’t tainted by the Dark Lord.

“Expecto Patronum!” 

A cloud of silvery, white mist erupts from his wand causing him to sigh dejectedly, this makes Potter frown in confusion at him.

“I used to be able to produce a corporeal Patronus, before well…” He shrugs in explanation, he knows Potter will understand.

“Ah, you know, that’s nothing to be ashamed of Draco;” he lays a hand on Draco’s shoulder and squeezes reassuringly, “if you don’t mind me asking, what was it’s form?” 

“It was a panther.” Draco kind of misses it, before he had witnessed too much he would conjure one just to keep him company, if only for a few minutes.

“Suits you,” Potter says, “Lupin told me that your memory has be strong, it doesn't actually have to be real but it has to be enough for the Dementor to feed on but enough to keep you going too.”

“Will you show me?” Draco asks tentatively, Potter’s Patronus is well known but that doesn’t stop him wanting to see him cast it; Potter smiles at him before casting it. 

“Expecto Patronum.” He says and a large white stag comes bursting out of the end of his wand then just stands there as if waiting for something, “your turn.”

Draco breathes deeply then allows his mind to wander to something that could keep him going, it occurs to him that no-one need ever know what he is thinking of so he allows the thoughts to come. 

Potter pressed up against his back.

Potter holding his hand in the hallways.

Harry caressing his cheek with his calloused fingertips then leaning in to press a soft kiss to his lips.

“Expecto Patronum.” The incantation comes a lot easier than he thought it would with the last thought still pressed to the front of his mind, he can see Potter (had he just referred to Potter in his head as Harry? Well no-one had to know) grinning as a form erupts from the end of his wand still surrounded by a light mist that is clearing by the second to reveal it’s form.

Draco almost stumbles back in horror when he realises what his Patronus is.

His Patronus is a stag. Exactly like Potter’s.

Shit.

His damned Patronus and Potter’s now seem to be sniffing at each other tentatively, that is until Potter’s licks the nose of his and they start to rub noses.

Draco is sure that every emotion currently going through his head are clear as day on his face, the only consolation he has it that everyone seems to be engrossed in their own learning and no-one has yet noticed the two stags nuzzling each other at the back of the classroom.

“A stag eh?” 

Draco had dared to hope for a second that Potter would mistake it for a moose or something but turning to face him he saw that Potter was not watching the still present forms but him.

He tried to open his mouth to speak but he couldn’t think of what to say so closed it and hung his head so he couldn’t see Potter’s reaction, he might have been nice to him and maybe flirted a little but someone’s Patronus being the same as yours meant something entirely different and everyone knew it.

“You know, my parents had matching Patronus’. My dad’s was a stag and my mum’s was a doe,” Potter says softly, his shoes suddenly come into Draco’s line of vision and there are fingers under his chin making him look up into Potter’s eyes, “I think ours are too if their reactions to each other are anything to go by.”

Potter jerks his head towards the forms that are somehow still there and still fucking cuddling, the only reason that Draco hasn’t yet fled is because Potter hasn’t actually said anything bad yet. 

“What were you thinking of when you cast it, Draco?” Potter asks as his hand moves to caress Draco’s cheek, it is so like his fantasy that he almost gasps but instead mumbles out a single word that he is sure Potter won’t be able to catch but he leans closer so their noses are almost touching, “what was that?”

Draco can feel Potter’s breath against his lips and almost leans forward into it but catches himself and resigns himself to answering; he looks straight into Potter’s bright eyes and smiles.

“You.” 

Then there are soft lips covering his and an arm slipping around his waist, it was like every teenage wet dream he had ever had coming true and he wasn’t about to let it go without a fight so he wrapped his arms around Potter’s neck and pulled him closer, burying his hands in Potter’s bird’s nest hair just like he’d always wanted to.

One of Potter’s hands strokes gently up and down his back and the other is still cupping his cheek softly as his tongue licked delicately at Draco’s lips, Draco was only too happy to open his mouth and allow Harry to kiss him even deeper.

They were completely lost in each other until they heard someone loudly clearing their throat. They broke apart reluctantly to find Professor Sanders watching them with one raised eyebrow from behind their Patronus’ who had turned to face her as if standing guard but Draco’s still leant into Harry’s as if seeking support. Then they noticed that there was no other movement within the class and that everyone had stopped and were now watching them.

Weasley looked like he might be sick but was still trying to give Potter a reassuring smile, Granger looked like she had just won a bet and Blaise looked like the cat that had got the cream making Draco roll his eyes.

“Interesting Patronus form, Mr Malfoy.” Sanders nods before moving on to speak to Longbottom and breaking the stillness of the room prompting everyone to hurriedly return to what they had been doing. 

“Well, that went well.” Grins Potter as their Patronus’ finally fade after one last nuzzle of their noses making Draco smile a little and hold on to Potter as his grip slips from Draco’s back to his waist as if bracing himself to be pushed away but the hand on his cheek remains there, “no denials, Draco?” 

Potter looks like he is trying to sound confident but being this close Draco can see the uncertainty in his eyes and feel the sudden stiffness in his posture. 

“I think any denial would be futile, considering our entire year just witnessed our display and it will be known school wide by lunch; don’t you agree Harry?” Draco asks leaning in to press his forehead against Harry’s.

“I think it might get us detention if I kiss you again in class but make no mistake I really want to.” Harry says breathlessly against his lips, he groans softly as Draco’s tongue darts out to wet his lips and just brushes his and no more.

“I should call you Harry more then, shouldn’t I?” Draco smirks as he plays with the soft hair at the base of Harry’s neck.

“I really hope so,” Harry whispers, they untangle themselves from each other when Sanders calls them all to order then dismisses them.

Draco takes his time collecting his bag and is surprised to see Potter waiting for him by the door, he cannot help the smile that creeps onto his face as Harry holds out a hand for him and when he takes it a kiss is pressed to his knuckles. 

“You’re very pretty when you blush.” Harry says in his ear as they walk down the corridor towards Charms.

When the eventually do stumble into Charms ten minutes late with their robes askew, hair tousled and kiss-red lips; they get knowing looks from their classmates and a smile from Flitwick.

And if they spend the entire class holding hands beneath their desks just to be touching then no-one else has to know.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if you liked this in the comments also tell me of any mistakes you see! I wrote this entire thing on my phone so there might be a few! 
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


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